Tesco has secretly been trialling a scheme to give away free food that would otherwise be binned for more than four months, MailOnline can reveal.
The supermarket giant confirmed the trial is already taking place ‘in a small number of our Tesco Express stores’ as part of efforts to cut food waste, but declined to say when it was first introduced.
However, eagle-eyed bargain hunters first spotted the scheme on November 9 in a London store.
One customer shared photos of a sign next to piles of sandwiches, fruit and sushi which reads: ‘From 9.30pm until this Express store closes tonight all yellow reduced-to-clear items marked “CS” are yours for free’.
The food must still be scanned at the till and will only become free to customers if it’s not taken by charities, local groups, or store staff who can get CS labelled products free from 9pm.
Previously food items bearing a yellow sticker had a maximum of 90 percent price reduction.
Tesco said the move would allow it to ‘continue with our drive to reduce food waste within our own operations’, according to an internal memo, The Telegraph reports.
It comes amid a boom in demand for discounted food with sales of yellow stickered items soaring at all supermarkets amid the cost of living crisis.
Eagle-eyed bargain hunters first spotted the scheme on November 9 in a London store
The supermarket giant confirmed the trial is already taking place ‘in a small number of our Tesco Express stores’ (stock image)
Figures from Barclays in 2023 suggest almost two thirds of homes were buying discounted products.
But some customers reacted with concern to the news, with one warning: ‘I can imagine the scuffles and fighting over products at my local.’
Another posted: ‘I am expecting a riot to break out, both for grabbing everything or the anger if it is a wasted trip, making Tesco regret this.’
On its website, Tesco said that its aims to be ‘carbon neutral’ by 2035 and net zero by 2050.
In 2023/24, the supermarket achieved a 61 percent reduction of absolute emissions from its operations compared to 2015, which exceeded its 2025 target of 60 percent.
A statement said: ‘We’ve done this by using energy and refrigeration more efficiently, and by adopting 100 percent renewable electricity across the Group.’
A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We are constantly looking for innovative new ways to reduce food waste. In all our stores we offer unsold surplus food to charities and community groups, donating millions of meals each month.
‘This trial, in a small number of our Express stores, will allow customers to take any remaining yellow stickered items for free at the end of the day, after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues.’
